By KEVINE OMOLLO
KISUMU, KENYA: A man in Kisumu allegedly strangled his wife before setting their house ablaze using petrol.
In the bizarre incident that occurred at Canaan Estate, the couple was burned beyond recognition.
Bodies of the man, 49, and the woman, 46, were found lying on the floor of their living room, about two metres from each other, yesterday at around 9am.
The woman worked at the Ministry of Lands, in Kisumu, while her husband is reported to have been a taxi driver in the lakeside town. He is reported to have lived in the US for 20 years before returning home eight years ago. He was reportedly deported.
Witnesses said they heard screams from the compound at around 7am, and a few minutes later the house was engulfed in fire.
David Okello, a neighbour, said the couple had a fight before the fire started in the area about five kilometres from the town’s Central Business District.
Okello said there was commotion and the woman was screaming.
“The gate was locked so we jumped over the fence into the compound,” Okello said.
He said two women who were staying with the couple were rescued when the neighbours broke a windowpane as the door was locked from inside.
The couple is said to have been engaging in frequent fights and that they had just moved into the building about a month ago. A friend to the dead woman said she called her on several occasions to itell her how her husband has been physically assaulting her.
The three-bedroomed house appeared intact, save for the living room that was extensively damaged. The couple has a teenager studying in Uganda.
Kisumu North OCPD Peter Omanwa said the woman seemed to have been strangled before the man set the house on fire.
He said the man had locked the two visitors aged 16 and 18 in their bedroom when a fight broke out, and that is when he killed his wife. “The ladies said they saw the man pour petrol on the body of the woman and on himself before starting the fire,” he said.
The two bodies were moved to Nyanza Provincial mortuary.
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